A MODULAR SYSTEM FOR BUILDING FACADES

Abstract: In a modular system for a building facade constructed from polygonal modules (1) comprising glass panels and/or nontransparent plate panels having mounted vertical and horizontal frame members (2), the modules (1) are only connected to the building structure by the fastening of two substantially opposite frame members (2) to vertical supporting elements (30, 54, 58) through a facade opening. In case of rectangular modules, vertical frame members (2) and fastening profiles (32, 32') in connection with said vertical supporting elements (30, 58) may be formed with engagement members for engagement with a mounting profile (33), which is partly formed for snap engagement with the frame members (2) and the fastening profiles (32, 32') for temporary fastening thereof in mutual engagement, which permits adjustment of the modular element (1), and which is partly provided with locking elements for fastening of the frame members (2) and the fastening profiles (32, 32') in secure mutual engagement.

Description: A modular system for building facades The present invention relates to a modular system for a building facade comprising polygonal modules with glass panels and/or nontransparent plate panels retained in mounted, interconnected frame members preferably consisting of metal or plastic profiles. Such modular systems, which may comprise both openable window modules and fixed glass panels or nontransparent plate panels, are known in many different designs from EP published patent applications Nos. 0301166, 0334071, 0395040, 0431230 and 045137, DE patent publication No. 3540385, FR published patent application No. 2649441 and US patent publication No. 3527010. The common feature of the known designs is partly that usually they are limited to the use of uniform, rec¬ tangular modules, partly that relatively complicated frame structures, often with a considerable number of individual components, are required for the fastening of the panels to the building structure. DK patent application No. 115/92 describes a modular system of the type indicated, which remedies these disadvantages through a more simple, cheap and more easy-to-mount design of the frame structure, which is also designed with particular emphasis on achieving low thermal conduction through the removal of thermal bridges in the frame structure. Like the modular systems according to the other above publications, however, also this latter known modular system presupposes that the rectangular modules have a uniform size and shape, which cannot be con¬ sidered attractive from an architectonic point of view because this does not leave much freedom in the design of the facade. Indeed, buildings with such whole glass facades regularly face the criticism that they appear with a certain uniformity. The object of the invention is to provide a design of a modular system of the type indicated having a considerably increased flexibility and degree of liberty in the facade design. To achieve this object, the modular system accord¬ ing to the invention is characterized in that said stationary modules are only connected with the building structure by the fastening of two substantially opposite frame members to supporting elements at or through a facade opening. Thus, the modular system according to the invention renders it possible to use polygonal modules of differ- ent shapes, such as triangular, trapezoidal or rhombic modules, in addition to conventional, rectangular modules. In case of rectangular modules where said opposite frame members-are vertical, it will be possible to use modules of different heights within the individ- ual facade bays delimited by said supporting elements, in this case also vertical ones, so that the horizontal facade lines may be displaced in the direction of height between the individual bays, and considerable architec¬ tonic liberty is achieved to design the facade with horizontally broken lines. The invention also opens up for architectonically more exciting facade designs with gable portions in which typically the upper part will be composed of triangular and/or trapezoidal modular elements. In that connection, substantially opposite frame members should not be understood restrictively as parallel frame members, as the frame members connected with the building structure could well form, for example, the cathetus and the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle. The connection of the modules with the building structure only at said opposite frame members also provides an advantageous possibility of adjusting the individual modules and equalizing any differences in tolerance in connection with the installation. In a preferred embodiment in which said opposite frame members and fastening profiles in connection with said supporting elements are formed with engagement members for engagement with a mounting profile which is provided with locking elements for retention of the frame members and the fastening profiles in secure mutual engagement, a specially easy-to-mount design in connection with such an adjustment possibility can thus be obtained by forming the mounting profiles for snap engagement with the frame members and the fastening profiles and temporary retention thereof in mutual engagement, which permits adjustment of the modular element before actuation of the locking elements. A design of the frame members suitable for indus- trial manufacture can be obtained in that at their interior side edge the frame members have an engagement flange having a cross-sectionally claw-shaped hook portion for engagement with a corresponding cross- sectionally claw-shaped hook portion on a first engage- ment member of the mounting profile, while a second engagement member of the mounting profile is formed with a groove which, when the mounting profile is turned about an axis determined by the engagement between said hook portions can be brought into engagement with a projecting nose portion on the fastening profile, that a sealing profile with a resilient edge part facing the frame member is arranged between the fastening profile and the frame member, and that the locking elements comprise fixation screws mounted in the mounting profile for screwing into a groove positioned behind the nose portion of the fastening profile, after the groove in the second engagement member of the mounting profile has been brought into engagement with the nose portion. As all frame members in this design can be formed with a uniform profile cross-section, for example as extruded, hollow aluminium or plastic profiles, the adjoining frame members of neighbouring modular elements, for rectangular modules, may be interconnected by a resilient sealing profile, and these sealing profiles may be formed with engagement members for engagement with the engagement flanges of the frame members, which flanges are used on the vertical frame members for the above temporary engagement with a mounting profi1e. In an embodiment with rectangular stationary modules in connection with vertical supporting elements, the modular system according to a further development of the invention may comprise at least one openable module with a substantially rectangular panel retained in a pivotal frame consisting of vertical and horizontal frame members, each of which, in the closed position of the module, adjoins a frame member of an adjacent fixed module, of which a horizontal frame member may be fastened to the adjoining horizontal frame member of a fixed module by means of a locking device, while each of the vertical frame members via at least one swinging arm is pivotally connected with a fastening profile associated with the adjoining vertical frame member of the fixed module. The invention will now be explained in further detail below with reference to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a section of a facade design by means of an embodiment of a modular system according to the invention with rectangular modules of uniform width, Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views along the lines II-II, III-III and IV-IV in Fig. 1, Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a vertical supporting element designed as a column profile, Fig. 6 is a design of an internal finishing profile adapted to the column profile of Fig. 5 for mutually facing horizontal frame members of neighbouring modules, Fig. 7 is a side view of an openable module of a further development of the modular system, and Figs. 8-11 are sectional views of frame members and parts thereof in the openable module and adjoining fixed modules. The facade design shown in Fig. 1 represents the simplest embodiment of a modular system according to the invention and comprises a number of fixed, rectangular modular elements or panels 1, which may each comprise either a sealed insulating glass unit with several layers of glass or a nontransparent plate element. In the figure, the modular elements 1 are shown having a uniform size and shape. This, however, is not at all necessary, as the point of the invention is that it renders possible the use of rectangular modular elements 1 of different heights, but preferably of a uniform width. As mentioned above, the facade design may comprise polygonal modules of a non-rectangular shape, such as triangular, trapezoidal or rhombic modules. The modular elements 1 designed as sealed insulat¬ ing glass units or nontransparent plate elements are manufactured in a factory with mounted frame members 2, which, in addition to ensuring better manufacturing and installation conditions and control possibilities, also results in an advantageous protection of the modular elements all the way from the place of manufacture until installation has taken place at the final installation site. In the embodiment shown with rectangular modules, the modular elements 1 are fastened only at the vertical sides to vertical supporting elements, which may be either free-standing through-going column elements 3 specially designed for the modular system according to the invention, or be load-bearing columns in the building structure. The sectional view of Fig. 2 shows a specially designed horizontal main frame profile 4 for connection with the lowest horizontal frame members on modular elements 1 which are to be placed at the bottom in a facade opening against a load-bearing structural element, usually a storey partition. The main frame profile 4 is anchored to the storey partition, not shown, by means of anchor bolts, not shown, the position of which is indicated by the dashed- and-dotted line 5. The vertical and horizontal frame members 2, which may be assembled around the sealed insulating glass unit or nontransparent plate element of the modular element 1 are formed as a relatively flat, for example extruded, hollow aluminium or plastic profile, in which a track 6 for receiving the sealed insulating glass unit or the plate element 7 is delimited by upright profile portions 8 and 9 for abutment with the sealed insulating glass unit or the plate element 7 on the exterior and the interior sides thereof, respectively. At the bottom of the exterior profile portion 8, a relatively narrow groove 10 is formed for receiving a resilient weather strip, not shown, of an elastomeric material and intended for abutment with a corresponding, also not shown weather strip arranged in a relatively narrow groove 12 formed in the top of an exterior profile portion 13 of the main frame profile 4, which can also be formed as an extruded aluminium or plastic profile. A weather strip 14 serves to seal against the profile portion 9 at the inside of the frame member 2 and is connected with the main frame profile 4 through a snap engagement strip 15 formed with two downwards projecting hook flanges 16 and 17 for snap engagement with corresponding hook-shaped flange parts 18 and 19 on an upwardly projecting part 20 of the main frame profile 4, in which a track 21 is further formed to receive a backwards facing bead part 22 of the weather strip 14 at the snap engagement. Thus, the snap engage¬ ment strip 15 is held in place without the use of screws. In case of wide panels where rather large outward stresses may occur owing to suction, when the facade is in the lee side of wind influences, it is possible to further secure the seal at the weather strip 14 by using a spring clip 23 having a substantially U-shaped engagement member 24 arranged in engagement with hook edges 25, 26 at a U-shaped track 27 formed to this end and serving as a drainage channel, is arranged in the main frame profile 4 and has a backwards projecting spring leg 28, which rests against a downwards project¬ ing edge 29 on the profile portion 9 of the frame member 2. The sectional view of Fig. 3 shows the retention of the mutually facing vertical frame members 2 in two neighbouring modules of a vertical supporting element which, in the example shown, is constituted by a load- bearing column 30 in the building structure. The column 30 is connected with a fastening profile 32 by means of a screw or bolt connection, not shown, marked by the dashed-and-dotted line 31, and this profile and each of the vertical frame members 2 are formed with engagement members to engage with a mounting profile 33 which is provided with locking elements for retention of the frame members 2 in secure engagement with the fastening profile 32. In the embodiment shown, the frame members 2 within the profile portion 9 are formed with an engagement flange 34 having a claw-shaped hook portion 35, and at one end the mounting profile 33 has a first engagement member 36 with a corresponding claw-shaped hook portion 37. The side of the fastening profile 32 facing outwards is formed with a track 38 for engagement with two projecting flap members 39 on a sealing profile 40 arranged between the fastening profile 32 and the frame members 2 and having a basis 41 in contact with the outer side of the fastening profile 32 and two resilient legs or edge parts 42, 43 for contact with the engage¬ ment flanges 34 on the two neighbouring frame members 2. The track 38 is delimited by two projecting flange parts 44, 45 which also form a projecting nose portion 46 at their interior side facing away from the sealing profile 40. For engagement with this nose portion 46, the mounting profile 33 has a second engagement member 47 with a groove 48. At the installation, the first engagement member 36 with the hook portion 37 of the mounting profile 33 is brought into engagement with the hook portion 35 on the engagement flange 34 of the frame member 2 in question. By turning the mounting profile 33 about the axis determined by this engagement, the groove 48 at the second engagement member 47 may now be brought into snap engagement with the nose portion 46 on the fastening profile 32. The establishment of this snap engagement along the vertical frame members of a module ensures temporary retention of modules, which renders possible an adjustment before the final fasten¬ ing. For the final fastening and locking of the frame member 2 in relation to the fastening profile 32, the mounting profile 33, as mentioned above, comprises locking elements which, in the embodiment shown, are constituted by fixation screws 49 which, after estab¬ lishment of said snap engagement between the groove 48 and the nose portion 46 and a possible subsequent adjustment of the module, are screwed into a groove 50 formed in the fastening profile behind the nose portion 46. In the embodiment shown, the mounting profile 33 comprises a third engagement member in the form of an inwardly directed nose portion 51 which, by tightening of the fixation screws 49, is brought into engagement behind a corresponding outwardly oriented nose portion 52 of a sideways projecting engagement flange 53 on the fastening profile 32. This engagement ensures a controllably uniform gasket pressure between the frame members 2 and the fastening profile 32 at the tighten¬ ing. Like the frame and main frame profiles, the fastening and mounting profiles 32, 33 may be made as extruded metal or plastic profiles. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, both the fastening profile 32 and the sealing profile 40 arranged between the fastening profile and the frame members 2 in neighbouring modules are formed symmetrically, and as mentioned, the fastening profile 32 is formed as a special profile for fastening to a vertical supporting element in the form of a load-bearing column 30 in the building structure itself. Conversely, the sectional view of Fig. 4 shows the fastening of a vertical frame member 2 to a vertical main frame profile 4. As it appears, the fastening profile is here formed as an integral part of the main frame profile 4, the flange portion 45 with the nose portion 46 and the engagement flange 53 with the nose portion 52 in the design of Fig. 3 being constituted by the flange portions 18, 19 of the upwardly projecting part 20 of the main frame profile 4. In the design of Fig. 4, the main frame profile 4 is fastened to a side wall 54 at a facade opening by means of anchor bolts, not shown, as marked by the dashed-and-dotted line 55. The joint between the main frame profile 4 and the side wall 54 may be sealed by means of sealing runs 56, 57 of an elastic sealant. For fastening of the vertical frame members of neighbouring modules at places where there is no load- bearing column in the building structure, a vertical supporting element can be used as shown in Fig. 5, in the form of a separate column profile 58 which is formed integrally with a fastening profile 32' with a design corresponding exactly to that of the fastening profile 32 of Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the horizontal frame members 2 of two neighbouring modules one above the other may be connected on the interior side with a substantially U-shaped profile element 59, the legs of which are formed with engagement flaps 60, 61 for engagement with the engagement flanges 34 of the frame members 2. The slot between the adjoining frame members may in this connection be closed by means of a soft seal 62. In order to achieve a nice finish having a shape which corresponds to the inwardly facing end of the column profile 58 of Fig. 5, a cover profile 63 may be clipped on to the profile element 59. Within the scope of the invention, the detailed design of frame and main frame profiles and fastening and mounting profiles may deviate from the embodiments shown and described above. Regardless of the fact that only rectangular modules for fastening to the building structure at the vertical frame members have been mentioned for the embodiment described, the fastening principle character¬ istic for the invention can also be used in connection with polygonal, non-rectangular modules, for example triangular, trapezoidal or rhombic modules, where some of the frame members are fastened to oblique supporting elements which may, in principle, be formed as the column profile shown in Fig. 5. In a further development of the invention, the modular system in an embodiment with rectangular modules fastened to vertical supporting elements may be designed with openable modules 64 as shown in Fig. 7. As it appears from Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the vertical and horizontal frame members 65-67 for the openable module are formed with substantially the same profile cross-section as the frame members of the adjoining fixed modules, which has the advantage in relation to known facade systems that the openable module(s) cannot immediately be identified in detail. By means of pivots 68 the vertical frame members 65 are connected with two swinging arms 69 and 70, which form a parallelogram joint together with the frame member 65 and the associated fastening profile 32. The upper swinging arm 69 is pivotally connected with a slider 71, which is displaceable in the track formed in the fastening profile 32 between the nose portion 46 and the engagement flange 53, while the lower swinging arm 70 is pivotally connected with a block 72 fastened in the same track. When the window is closed as shown in Fig. 9, the interior side of the horizontal top frame member 66 of the openable module 64 is brought into contact with an elastic sealing profile 74 fastened in a cover strip 73 mounted on the interior side of the adjoining bottom frame piece 2 of the fixed module above. The interior side of the bottom frame piece 67 may, as shown in Fig. 10, be provided with a pivotal locking handle 75, which in its closed position is brought into contact with a projecting pin 76 from a cover strip 77 mounted via an elastic weather strip element 78 on the interior side of the horizontal top frame piece 2 of the fixed module below. At the closing, the interior side of the frame member 67 of the openable profile is also here brought into contact with the weather strip element 78. To provide further sealing, as shown in Fig. 11, sealing profiles 80 may be received in grooves 79 at the exterior sides of the frame members of the openable module, which sealing profiles 80 in their closed position are brought into sealing contact with corre¬ sponding weather strips 81 received in the groove 10 in the adjoining frame members of adjacent fixed modules.

Claims: P A T E N T C L A I M S 1. A modular system for a building facade compris¬ ing stationary polygonal modules (1) with glass panels and/or nontransparent plate panels retained in mounted, interconnected frame members (2) preferably consisting of metal or plastic profiles, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said stationary modules (1) are only connected with the building structure by the fastening of two substantially opposite frame members (2) to supporting elements (30, 54, 58) at or through a facade opening. 2. A modular system according to claim ^ c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that said opposite frame members (2) and fastening profiles (32, 32') in connection with said supporting elements (30, 58) are formed with engagement members for engagement with a mounting profile (33) which is provided with locking elements for retention of the frame members (2) and the fastening profiles (32, 32') in secure mutual engagement. 3. A modular system according to claim 2, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that the mounting profiles (33) are formed for snap engagement with the frame members (2) and the fastening profiles (32, 32') for temporary retention thereof in mutual engagement which permits adjustment of the modular element (1) before actuation of the locking elements. 4. A modular system according to claim 2, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that at their interior side edge the frame members (2) have an engagement flange (34) having a cross-sectionally claw-shaped hook portion (35) for engagement with a corresponding, cross-sectionally claw-shaped hook portion (37) on a first engagement member (36) of the mounting profile (33) , while a second engagement member (47) of the mounting profile (33) is designed with a groove (48) which, when the mounting profile (33) is turned about an axis determined by the engagement between said hook portions (35, 37) can be brought into engagement with a projecting nose portion (46) on the fastening profile (32) , that a sealing profile (40) with an resilient edge part (42, 43) facing the frame member (2) is arranged between the fastening profile (32) and the frame member (2) , and that the locking elements comprise fixation screws (49) mounted in the mounting profile (33) for screwing into a groove (50) positioned behind the nose portion (46) of the fastening profile (32) , after the groove (48) in the second engagement member (47) of the mounting profile (33) has been brought into engagement with the nose portion (46) . 5. A modular system according to claim 4, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that the mounting profile (33) is formed with a third engagement member (51) which by tightening of said fixation screws (49) is brought into engagement with an additional engagement flange (53) on the fastening profile (32) to provide a controllable, uniform packing pressure between the frame member (2) and the fastening profile (32) . 6. A modular system according to claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fastening profile (32, 32') and said sealing profile (40) are formed symmetrically for connection with juxtaposed frame members (2) in neighbouring modular elements. 7. A modular system according to any one of claims 2-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said supporting elements comprise separate rail profiles (58) formed integrally with an associated fastening profile (32') . 8. A modular system according to any one of claims 2-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fastening profiles comprise special profiles (32) formed for fastening to supporting elements (30) constituting part of the building structure. 9. A modular system according to any one of claims 2-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fastening profile (18-20) is formed as part of a main frame profile (4) for fastening on a supporting element in the form of a side wall (54) of a facade opening forming part of the building structure. 10. A modular system according to claim 7, 8 or 9, constructed substantially from rectangular modules having a uniform width and vertical and horizontal frame members, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said opposite frame members are vertical frame members, and that said supporting elements (30, 58) are vertical supporting elements. 11. A modular system according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that modular elements (1) for placing at the bottom in a facade opening against a horizontal load-bearing structural element, preferably a storey partition, are mounted by means of resilient sealing profiles (14) in sealing connection with a main frame profile (4) designed for fastening to said structural element. 12. A modular system according to claim 11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a track (27) is formed in the mutually facing sides of said main frame profile (4) and an opposite horizontal frame member (2) for receiving an elastic retaining element (23) for retention of the modular element (1) against outward movement in relation to the facade plane. 13. A modular system according to claim 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that mutually facing horizontal frame members (2) of neighbouring modular elements are connected through a resilient sealing profile (62) . 14. A modular system according to claims 4 and 13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that all frame members (2) are formed with a uniform profile cross-section, and that said sealing profiles (62) are formed with engage¬ ment members (60, 61) for engagement with said engage¬ ment flanges (34) on the frame members (2) . 15. A modular system according to claims 9-11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said main frame profiles (4) are formed with a uniform profile cross- section, and that said sealing profiles comprise a first sealing profile (14) , which is connected with a horizon- tal main frame profile by means of a bead part (22) and seals against the engagement member (34) of the frame profile and the bottom side of a snap locking element (15) formed for engagement with the said part (18-20) of the main frame profile (4) formed as a fastening profile. 16. A modular system according to claims 14 and 15, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frame members (2) and the main frame profiles (4) are provided with grooves (10, 12) at their outwardly facing sides for receiving a second sealing profile. 17. A modular system according to claim 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it further comprises at least one openable module (64) with a substantially rectangular panel retained in a pivotal frame consisting of vertical and horizontal frame members (65-67) , each of which, in the closed position of the module, adjoins a frame member of an adjacent fixed module, and of which a horizontal frame member (68) may be fastened to the adjoining horizontal frame member (2) of a fixed module by means of a locking device (75) , while each of the vertical frame members (65) via at least one swinging arm (69, 70) is pivotally connected with a fastening profile (32) associated with the adjoining vertical frame member of the fixed module. 18. A modular system according to claim 17, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the openable module (64) is connected at each of the vertical frame members (65) with the associated fastening profile (32) via two swinging arms (69, 70) which form a parallelogram joint together with the frame member (65) and the fastening profile (32) , and of which one swinging arm (69) is displaceably connected with the fastening profile (32) . 19. A modular system according to claims 5 and 18, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said swinging arms (69, 70) are connected with a retained block (76) and a displaceable slider (71) , respectively, in the track formed between said nose portion (46) and additional engagement flange on the fastening profile. 20. A modular system according to claim 16 and any one of claims 17-19, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the outwardly facing sides of the frame members (65-67) of the openable module are provided with grooves (79) for receiving a sealing profile (80) which, in the closed position of the window, is brought into sealing abutment with a corresponding sealing profile (81) in said grooves (10) in the adjoining frame members for fixed modules.

Inventors: ANDERSEN LEIF VIKAER, NIELSEN FINN, PEDERSEN HANS OVE, THOMSEN MORTEN WERNER, ANDERSEN, LEIF, VIKAER, NIELSEN, FINN, PEDERSEN, HANS, OVE, THOMSEN, MORTEN, WERNER
Applicants: ANDERSEN LEIF VIKAER, NIELSEN FINN, PEDERSEN HANS OVE, RASMUSSEN KANN IND AS, THOMSEN MORTEN WERNER, ANDERSEN, LEIF, VIKAER, NIELSEN, FINN, PEDERSEN, HANS, OVE, THOMSEN, MORTEN, WERNER, V. KANN RASMUSSEN INDUSTRI A/S
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E04B2
IPC codes: E04B2